In recent years, amid calls for environmental issues, there has been a rapid progression toward paperless offices. As a technique for promoting paperless operation, there is proposed a document management system which scans paper documents stored in binders and the like with a scanner or the like, converts them into image files such as portable document format (to be referred to as PDF hereinafter), and stores and manages them in an image storage.
In a multifunction peripheral with enhanced functions, in storing and managing an image file corresponding to a paper document, pointer information indicating the location of the image file in an image storage can be recorded on the cover sheet or in the information of the paper document as additional information. In reusing (e.g., copying) the paper document, the storage location of the original electronic file (image file) corresponding to the paper document is detected from the pointer information, and the original electronic file is directly reused. This makes it possible to reduce the total amount of paper documents held and obtain a print with high image quality.
There is also proposed an arrangement in which a read image is divided into objects of respective attributes (e.g., text, photo, graphic, table, and background image) to generate an electronic file of the vector data format so as to reuse it on a terminal such as a personal computer even if no original electronic file corresponding to pointer information is found or no pointer information is detected.
Some multifunction peripherals (MFPs) comprise a print counter and scan counter in order to independently count the number of printing operations and that of scan operations (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212).
Some conventional apparatuses such as a copying machine comprise a password mode in which copying is permitted only when an input password coincides with a password registered in advance. In this case, the number of actual copies is counted for each input password. The number of copies by a user of the password can be grasped on the basis of the count, and the count can be utilized for usage management when the copying fee is shared.
The copying machine can also set a function of putting restrictions (e.g., inhibiting copying) when each copying machine exceeds a predetermined limit of copies even if a password agrees with a correct one.
In addition to the copying function, recent copying machines comprise a scan function of holding a read document as bitmap image data. In this case, the copying machine is equipped with a scan counter which counts the number of scanned documents. Some of copying machines having a printout function comprise a print counter which counts the number of printed image data. Such a copying machine can independently count the number of copies, that of scanned data, and that of prints (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196212).
Scan by a copying machine having the scan function is so-called raster scan. Read image data is converted into JPEG data or data of a portable document format (to be referred to as PDF hereinafter), stored and held in an image storage, and accumulated in a database, thereby constructing a document management system.
In generating an electronic file by the above-mentioned multifunction peripheral, an arrangement is implemented in which a user is billed for the contents of document scan operation executed to generate an electronic file. As a billing method, it is more practical to bill a user not for each document but for each object (e.g., a text, photo, or graphic object) present in a document.
As the usage management form (including billing) of the apparatus, there is proposed an arrangement in which the usage count (read count) of the apparatus is restricted for each of departments in a given organization (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-162299).
The present applicant has examined a multifunction peripheral in which a paper document is read by a scanner, the read image data is converted into vector data, and vector data is stored in an image storage so as to reuse it on a computer application.
Since vectorization of scan data can reconstruct a document into a reusable state, vectorization should be managed not simply as conventional scanning but separately from it. That is, if vectorization is regarded as a high-value-added service, demands arise for a mechanism of providing the service by changing the charge and billing structure.
Conceivable requirements for this mechanism are as follows.
To change the billing amount depending on the type of object
To change the billing amount depending on the number of object data in a document
To meet these requirements, the system needs to provide a more preferable vectorization service within an amount of money desired by the user.
A copying machine having a conventional scan function can save a raster-scanned document as an PDF file or compressed JPEG file of a compact information amount, can also manage the number of scanned documents, but suffers the following problems.
A file itself generated after rater scan is image information, and an arbitrary object in the document cannot be reused.
For example, if the user wants to use characters in a document by copying them as a text into a text application, the characters cannot be reused because they are formed as a bitmap image by raster scan. To use such characters, the user must cut out the text part, separately save it in a file format such as TIFF, and perform automatic character recognition by a dedicated OCR application or the like.
Even when the user tries to cut out an illustration made up of thin lines, convert it into a different color, and enlarge and reuse it, the illustration cannot be reused in the bitmap data format while maintaining its image quality. This is because the color runs around the thin lines, the thin lines become blurred upon enlargement, or jaggies are generated.
However, such a document can be reconstructed into a reusable state when the copying machine is equipped with a vector scan function which solves the above problems in raster scan and vectorizes each object in a read document to generate image data of a reusable format. This vector scan function should be managed not simply as conventional scanning but separately from it.
A situation in which company logos and copyrighted materials are unnecessarily vectorized is not desirable, and a mechanism of permitting/inhibiting the vectorized process for each department is needed. When vectorization is considered as a high-value-added service, the service may be provided by changing the consideration and billing structure.
However, current department management can manage only the number of scanned documents, and cannot manage raster scan and vector scan or cannot manage objects generated upon vector scan.
Basically, read documents are managed one by one, and no usage management is realized for each object in a document or for each department in an organization when the read document is used in the organization. Hence, usage of each object by each department cannot be managed.
In today's business environment, a finer, practical usage management form of an apparatus is required to realize usage management for each object and each department for the purpose of cost reduction and inhibition of unauthorized use by the user.